The topology optimization of ceramic-resin composite structure under thermal and mechanical loads

The ceramic-resin composite structure is generally used as the investment casting pattern. Due to the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of resin is higher than that of ceramic, the thermal expansion of the resin pattern will lead to the crack of the ceramic shell during the burnout procedure. Simultaneously, the stiffness of the whole structure should be maintained at a certain level. In this paper, topology optimizations with respect to the cavity configuration of the resin pattern were developed to find out the optimal designs. A method involves the assist element was also introduced to control the rigid displacement of the ceramic shell during the heating procedure. Several optimal designs were presented and the comparison of the objectives respectively before and after the optimization investigated these designs could avoid the crack problem of the ceramic shell effectively.